Vikings, giants, and underdogs: Why Kiwis should support Norway in the FIFA World Cup

Thursday, 9 July 2026

Norway fans were beside themselves as they left the stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on Sunday after their team made it to the World Cup quarterfinals for the very first time by beating Brazil 2-1. Fans at the Copacabana Beach in Rio

While the All Whites’ World Cup dream ended with a 5-1 loss to Belgium only a few weeks ago, many Kiwis may still be searching for a team to get behind to win it all.

Many have rallied behind England and their dream of winning their first trophy since 1966, however we’ll make the case for another team still in the running - Norway.

With the team built around global superstar Erling Haaland, the Landslaget are chasing a fairytale finish - winning the men’s World Cup in its first appearance at the big dance since 1998, 28 years ago.

Here are five reasons why Kiwis wouldn’t go amiss supporting Norway to go all the way.

Both countries have giants as national sportspeople

Steven Adams: you know him, you love him.

The laid-back Rotorua-native is entering his 13th season in the NBA, and is very much a figurehead in New Zealand sport.

Oh yeah, he’s also a giant, standing at 6 feet 11. He’s built like a tank too, run into him, its going to hurt (just ask Patrick Beverley).

In the Norwegian camp we have global football superstar Erling Haaland.

Similarly to Adams, Haaland is famously laid back off the football pitch, often seen laughing and joking with teammates, or with fans on social media.

Similarly to our gentle giant, Haaland is also tall , standing at 6 foot 5. Haaland is incredibly strong, often seen throwing defenders off balance, or shaking them off as if they’re nothing.

While Haaland’s global reach is obviously much larger, both New Zealand and Norway have lovable giants performing at their peak in their respective sports.

Norway has fjords, New Zealand has fiords

If you’ve seen any viking show ever, chances are you’ll have seen Norway’s beautiful fjords: long narrow inlets with cliffs and waterfalls.

We have them here in New Zealand too, although we spell them a bit differently here, the ‘j’ is swapped for an ‘i’. Instead of

At the same time, both countries boast snow-capped mountain ranges: the Southern Alps here and the Scandanavian Mountains in Norway.

If you want to support a country you could be dropped into and not tell the difference, Norway is the your team.

Both countries have growing indigenous pride

Māori in New Zealand, Sámi in Norway. Both are indigenous peoples undergoing intense cultural revitalisation.

Sámi are people indigenous to northern Scandinavia, spanning Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia, and have inhabited the region for thousands of years.

Similar to colonisation in New Zealand, the mid-1800s to the late 1980s saw the Norwegian government attempt to assimilate Sámi through the banning of their language in schools and in public, restricting land rights and placing children into boarding schools to sever their cultural connections.

Also similar to New Zealand, however, Sámi have since experienced a revitalisation of their language and culture.

Rooting for the giant killers

Norway shockingly sent Brazil home only a few days ago following a 2-1 win that sent shockwaves through the sporting world.

We Kiwis love an underdog, a team with limited expectations that go above and beyond (remember cheering when Japan beat South Africa in the 2015 Rugby World Cup?).

The Norwegians now face an England side tipped as the favourites to win the whole tournament. If you crave seeing an underdog potentially go all the way, Norway is the perfect team for you.

The potential to send England home

If you have no desire to see England bring football home, look no further than supporting Norway.

As previously mentioned, Norway will play England on Sunday, with a spot in the semi finals on the line.

While the Three Lions are the favourites to claim victory, Norway have proven to be a dangerous dark horse in this years tournament. The two sides last met in 2014, where England won 1-0.

There is also a bit of history in this match up too, away from the football field, if you’re a buff.

The vikings terrorised England for nearly 300 years, even choosing to settle in the British Isles at one point, until they were driven out for good following the events of the Battle of Stamford Bridge.

So if you’re wanting to see England crash out of the World Cup yet again, or you’re a history nerd, back the Norwegians to get the job done.

Norway will take on England in Miami at 9am on Sunday (NZ time). Follow Stuff’s live coverage here.